EASTON, Pa. -
A three-run seventh inning guided the Lafayette baseball team to a 7-6 win over visiting Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday afternoon at Kamine Stadium. Three Leopards pounded two hits, and Chris Boyce earned his first career win in relief.

With their second consecutive victory, the Leopards improve to 4-5 overall and 2-0 at Kamine Stadium this spring. Fairleigh Dickinson falls to 1-5.

Boyce (1-0) entered with runners on the corners and two down in the sixth and got out the jam, then added two more innings of relief en route to the victory. In total, he allowed two hits and one earned run in 2.1 frames of work. Boyce struck out three batters, hit a batter and did not issue a walk.

Sothpaw Jack Rems got the first two outs of the ninth - getting past the Knights' dangerous left-handed bats with just one single allowed - and Jeff Snell closed the door by the retiring the lone batter he faced for his third save of the season.

John Gentile started on the hill for Lafayette, allowing five earned runs on nine hits over the first 5.2 innings. He struck out three batters and walked two.

Anthony Calise (0-1) took the loss in relief for Fairleigh Dickinson. Calise, who entered the game with a one-run lead, allowed three runs on three hits and one walk while registering just two outs. Eric Anderson got the start for the visitors, surrendering four runs (two earned) on five hits in six innings. The southpaw tallied three strikeouts, two walks and a hit batter.

Davila started the Lafayette offense with a one-out single in the first inning and advanced into scoring position on a groundout by Kevin Casey. Fargnoli delivered on the RBI opportunity with a double to left field on an 0-2 pitch.

After an RBI single by FDU's Ryan Kresky in the top of the third, the Leopards reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the stanza. Santomauro bunted to leadoff the frame, and Lafayette speedster drew a bad throw from Anderson to reach safely. The Leopards' centerfielder promptly stole second and, after Casey walked, came around to score on another Fargnoli base-hit. After Casey moved to third on a wild pitch, Hopek lifted a sacrifice fly to center to bring him home and give Lafayette a 3-1 cushion.

The swirling winds at Metzgar Fields Athletic Complex helped the Knights pull even in the top of the fourth frame. Patrick McClure's fly ball found the deepest corner of right field for a leadoff triple, and Kyle Weeks skied a ball into the gusting winds and over the wall in centerfield for a two-run home run.

Fairleigh Dickinson then took the lead in the top of the fifth on a Kresky homer and added to it with an RBI base-hit from Shane Siebler in the sixth.

The Leopards cut into the 5-3 deficit in their half of the sixth frame. Hopek was hit by a pitch to start the inning and moved 90 feet on a Kelleher single. Ruck then dropped down a sacrifice bunt as a pinch-hitter, and Hills' ground ball brought Hopek home for an RBI.

After a perfect seventh thrown by Boyce, Santomauro worked a walk to start the bottom of the inning. After his second stolen base of the game, Santomauro scored on a single by Davila to knot the game at 5-5. A pair of productive outs by Casey and Fargnoli advanced Davila to third, and Hopek's two-out single drove him in as the go-ahead run. Hopek stole second base to set the table, and Kelleher tacked on an insurance tally with a two-out single to centerfield.

The 7-5 margin would be tested in the sixth inning. A diving attempt by Dunleavy in right field gave McClure a leadoff double and, after Boyce struck out Weeks and Riley Moonan, another diving stab - this time by Fargnoli in left field - was unsuccessful as Sean Yoshikawa's pinch-hit two-bagger plated McClure and ran the score to 7-6. Boyce would quell the rally with help from Davila, who saved the potential tying run with a sprinting stop of a ball bound for centerfield. The Lafayette shortstop flipped the ball to Casey covering second base to retire the side.

With Lafayette still leading 7-6, Rems retired Mike Eliasen on a groundout to start the ninth frame and, after Kresky singled, the Leopards' southpaw replaced him with Anderson at first on a fielder's choice groundout. Snell came on to face the right-hander McClure and induced a groundball to second base to close out the one-run victory.

Lafayette and Fairleigh Dickinson will conclude their series tomorrow with a doubleheader in Teaneck, N.J. beginning at noon. The Leopards will then head to Florida for five games before returning to Kamine Stadium to host Wagner on March 21.

Lafayette Athletics, as a partner in the mission of the College, provides an incredibly effective learning experience for student-athletes through competitive NCAA Division I athletics. Lafayette sponsors 23 varsity sports with more than 600 student-athletes.